- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
With the game of rugby league already in crisis due to the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal, the game was hit with a savage blow with the passing of one of the great rugby league administrators, Kevin Humphreys.
Humphreys was the Balmain Tigers secretary (or these days CEO) during the late 1960s.
But it was for his time as President of the Australian Rugby League during the period 1973-83 that he is best remembered.
Under his watch, Rugby League grew out of the backblocks of Sydney and Brisbane into a sport with a national profile. The Kangaroos won the Ashes in 1973, 1974, 1979 and 1982, which became known as ‘The Invincibles’.
And possibly the greatest triumph of Humphreys’ career at ARL level was the introduction of State of Origin, which has since grown into one of the three most watched TV sports programs in Australia.
Yet, there was a downside.
In 1983, Kevin Humphreys tendered his resignation as ARL president after the ABC TV current affairs program Four Corners ran a story titled The Big League, about corruption in high places in NSW.
Reporter Chris Masters described allegations of corruption within the NSWRL and in high levels within the NSW government, led by then premier, Neville Wran.
It was the end of Kevin Humphreys’ career as ARL president. Tom Bellew, and then Ken Arthurson, took over the position in later years.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.